Crashing
by starynightmikey
Summary: Casey has been kicked around her whole life, and she just can't take it anymore. So she does the only thing she can think to do. She takes all the money she's been saving up for months and she runs. She knows if her parents catch her they'll hurt her worse than ever before. Who knew she would meet a rock star on her way out?


I sat crying on my bed. The blood ruining my comforter. I sighed and stood up limping over to my backpack. I packed some clothes and all the money I had.

"I can't do this anymore" I said to myself. I heard my mom yelling in the living room. I flinched in fright slinging the bag over my shoulder. I climbed out the window and limped over to the bus stop sitting on the bench. My fingers touched the cool metal. I sighed wiping the tears from my face. I looked down on my wrist greated by the many cuts scaring quickly.

Soon enough the bus pulled up and I got on paying my fee. I sat by myself staring out the dark window. I didn't know where I was going. I only knew I was going as far away from this place as I could get. I pulled out my earbuds and played a sad song. I felt the tears still streaming down my face and I let them fall. I leaned my head back against the window. I felt the bus stop and start every few minutes. I drummed my fingers on my knee to the beat of the song not bothering to open my eyes. I didn't see him get on. I didn't see him sit down next to me. I didn't see him stare at me in wonder if I was okay. I didn't see him until he gained the courage to tap my shoulder. I opened my eyes and clicked the music off.

"Excuse me, you look upset, do you want to talk about it?" He asked in a sweet voice.

I shook my head no.

"You're hurting. I know that. I can see it in your eyes" he continued.

"I'm running away"

"Why?"

"None of your business"

"Please, let me help you"

I sighed and looked around nervously. What if he sent me back? what if he told the police? Then I'd really be in trouble.

"I don't have a family. I live in an orphanage" I lied.

"Oh, well if you want a place to stay tonight I could help" he offered.

"I don't know you"

"Michael, Michael Clifford"

"Casey"

"Please come with me"

"...okay"

If he kills me at least I'll be free for my parents forever. Although, he seemed like a good person. I could sense it in the way he spoke, the way he moved. We got off at a stop near the Veterans Memorial Arena and he stood next to me. He seemed very happy that I had come around and given in to him. I was preparing myself to sprint when he pulled his cell phone out.

"Hey Cal" he said.

"Yeah, I'm here"

"Yes I'm ready, tell Carmen to calm herself"

"I know I'm not suppose to wonder off but I wanted to look around"

"Okay, well I'm outside right now and we still have about 4 hours before the show starts"

"Okay, see ya"

He hung up sighing. I tightened my grip on the straps of my bag.

"Come on, we have to go in there" he said pointing to the arena.

"Why?" I asked.

"You'll find out soon enough" He smirked turning on his heel and walking towards the entrance. I reluctantly followed trusting this strange boy I had just met. We walked towards the arena and security let us walk right through. I looked back questioning what we were doing. There was an event going on later that night. Some band I don't know about.

Michael led me past the concessions and merchandise. The shirts read '5 Seconds Of Summer' and had the faces of the four members. It was too far away to make out the faces. We walked up the stairs to the backstage door.

"What are we doing?" I asked.

"Oh, um, never mind that, just...trust me" he smiled.

I raised an eyebrow questioning him. He replied by turning and opened the backstage door. Surprisingly it wasn't locked. I squinted from the bright lights on the ceiling. There were three other boys and a girl sitting on the couch. They all looked around Michael's age. They all greeted him as 'Mike' and looked curiously at me. I stepped behind Michael's tall figure nervous around all the boys. One body guard stood at the other door near a table of snacks and drinks. Before any questions could be asked a lady with an earpiece walked in holding a clipboard.

"Michael! Where have you been!" she demanded pausing to check her watch. "We only have three hours to sound check!".

"I know, that's why I came back" he replied calmly.

"Who's that?" she asked pointing at me with her pencil.

"This is Casey. She's a friend" he explained.

"Well introduce her to the boys! she can sit up front if she wants" she added walking out of the room.

I looked awkwardly at the four.

"Okay, so, this is Ashton, Calum, Luke, and Arzaylea" he introduced.

They all smiled at me and seemed pretty friendly. The Arzaylea girl was extremely pretty. I shyly sat on the couch next to Ashton. My nails were digging into the straps of my backpack from being so nervous.

"So, are you excited for the show?" Ashton asked me.

"I...don't know your band so I'm not sure" I mumbled. All the boys turned to look at me.

"Oh! Michael didn't tell you? That's alright, what kind of music do you like?" Calum replied.

"I don't listen to a lot of music. We have a really old radio and I pick up some songs. I think one was by a band called All Time Low. I liked that song" I explained.

"Hey! That's one of Mike's favorite bands. Michael! Casey likes All Time Low" Luke yelled over to Michael who had wondered over to the snacks.

"Awesome!" he mumbled through a mouth full of chips. I smiled lightly feeling like I was making connections with these strangers.

Soon the boys got up and went into a separate room to change for sound check. I sat in silence with Arzaylea and looked at my feet nervously.

"There's no need to be nervous. The fans make me seem a lot worse than I am" she said looking at her phone then at me.

"Oh, I bet that's frustrating" I replied.

"Trust me it is" She scoffed. She obviously didn't like the fans very much. She looked like the girl who causes drama so I wasn't sure who's side I was on.

"Anyways, you get to sit next to me in front of Michael's side" she explained.

"Um, okay" I replied confused.

We sat around for a good hour. I decided to venture backstage and see what the boys were doing. Security let me walk through as if I actually belonged there. I knew all this was temporary. I limped over to a chair that was propped up by the sound system.

"Excuse me" I heard.

I turned towards the voice. It was a boy with orange hair and bright blue eyes.

"Hey, you're Casey right? I'm Kyle" he said smiling.

"Hi" I said quietly.

"What happened to you?" He asked worried.

"Oh, this? It's nothing" I insisted.

I watched him speak into the microphone around his head. He called for what I assumed was the bands nurse. She came by so fast she almost missed me. She stopped in front of me smiling. She looked around 30 at the most her blonde hair reaching the middle of her back.

"Alright, let's fix you up" she said.

She cleaned my leg with wipes and wrapped it in bandages. As much as I didn't want to admit it, my arm really stung. I decided to leave it alone. They would defiantly send me back.

I stood from the chair and walked slowly closer to the curtain. I pulled it back slightly hearing the screaming girls. The music was unexplained. It was rock for sure, but something about it seemed to get to me. Like the music was speaking to me specifically. That's a really cool feeling.

The boys were answering questions about the band and themselves. One girl declared her love for Luke during her turn with the mic. I giggled a little too loudly causing a group of girls to turn towards me. The whispered to each other about it for a few minutes and stared at me. I got super shy and hid behind the curtain where they couldn't possibly see me. There was more racket when the next girl got the mic.

"Hey, who's that girl behind the curtain on Michael's side?" they asked. My eyes widened and I remembered what Arzaylea had said.

 _They make me seem a lot worse than I am_

"Oh! That's Casey. You guys want to meet her?" Michael spoke into his mic.

The girls cheered for me to come out. I peaked out and saw Michael looking for me. He smiled when our eyes met and ushered me to the stage with his hand. I shyly walked out from behind the curtain limping my way to the chair Kyle had set out for me on stage. Michael got up and lifted my arm over him shoulder to help me walk better. The girls awed and I blushed from embarrassment. Michael helped me sit down and I stared at the girls in front of me.

"Hi" I said into the microphone I was handed.

"You and Michael are goals!" someone yelled.

"Oh..um...we aren't dating" I said blushing again.

The fans were laughing at something and I didn't know what until I looked to my left and saw Michael raising an eyebrow at me.

"I'm just messing around guys, we're not dating" he confirmed laughing.

"Can you sing?" the next girl asked me. I instantly thought the All Time Low song I had heard and sang so many times.

"Give me therapy, I'm a walking travesty, but I'm smilin' at everything. Therapy, you were never a friend to me. You can keep all your misery" I sang.

The fans and the boys cheered for me. I smiled at the positive response. The manager lady from before came by the curtain and tapped her watch telling us to wrap it up.

"Well guys, that's all the time we have. It was great to see you all! We love you!" Ash said clicking off his mic.

The boys all walked off stage and Michael once again helped me across stage with my limp.

It was an hour to show and all the fans piled into the building. The first opening act, _Hey Violet,_ was about to go on. The body guard was ushering the boys out of the room and me and Arzaylea followed. We wore red hats so nobody would mob us. The fans didn't recognize us as we walked to our seats. When we sat down however a girl behind us tapped Arzaylea on the shoulder.

"Hey, could I get a picture with you?"

"I swear if you fans try to talk to me during the show I'm getting security"

"Oh, sorry, never mind" she said.

I obviously knew who's side I was on at this point seeing how poorly she treated the fans. I understand she wants to see the show but there's no need to yell at them. I turned around and looked at the girl smiling.

"Hey, I'm Michael's friend. I'll take a picture with you" I offered. She smiled back and took a picture with me. I turned back around and faced Arzaylea who looked upset. I hope she doesnt feel challenged by me because she is so much prettier and luckier then me. My whole life I've never had a boyfriend and to have someone as great as Luke seems, she's a really lucky girl.

After _Hey Violet_ played a band called _One Ok Rock_ went on. They played a sad song in which everyone put their phones in the air for turning there flashlights on. I had never had a phone hints why I never called the cops about my parents. When the band was done the lights came back on and everyone rushed out of their seats.

"They're going to see if they can catch up with the boys before they go backstage" Arzaylea said not bothering to look at me.

I replied with an oh and watched many fans abandon their seats and rush to the top of the stairs.

20 minutes later, the lights dimmed and everyone returned to their seats. Music started playing and the girls around us screamed so loud my ears started to ring.

"Carry On.."

Authors Note: tell me what you tI sat crying on my bed. The blood ruining my comforter. I sighed and stood up limping over to my backpack. I packed some clothes and all the money I had.

"I can't do this anymore" I said to myself. I heard my mom yelling in the living room. I flinched in fright slinging the bag over my shoulder. I climbed out the window and limped over to the bus stop sitting on the bench. My fingers touched the cool metal. I sighed wiping the tears from my face. I looked down on my wrist greated by the many cuts scaring quickly.

Soon enough the bus pulled up and I got on paying my fee. I sat by myself staring out the dark window. I didn't know where I was going. I only knew I was going as far away from this place as I could get. I pulled out my earbuds and played a sad song. I felt the tears still streaming down my face and I let them fall. I leaned my head back against the window. I felt the bus stop and start every few minutes. I drummed my fingers on my knee to the beat of the song not bothering to open my eyes. I didn't see him get on. I didn't see him sit down next to me. I didn't see him stare at me in wonder if I was okay. I didn't see him until he gained the courage to tap my shoulder. I opened my eyes and clicked the music off.

"Excuse me, you look upset, do you want to talk about it?" He asked in a sweet voice.

I shook my head no.

"You're hurting. I know that. I can see it in your eyes" he continued.

"I'm running away"

"Why?"

"None of your business"

"Please, let me help you"

I sighed and looked around nervously. What if he sent me back? what if he told the police? Then I'd really be in trouble.

"I don't have a family. I live in an orphanage" I lied.

"Oh, well if you want a place to stay tonight I could help" he offered.

"I don't know you"

"Michael, Michael Clifford"

"Casey"

"Please come with me"

"...okay"

If he kills me at least I'll be free for my parents forever. Although, he seemed like a good person. I could sense it in the way he spoke, the way he moved. We got off at a stop near the Veterans Memorial Arena and he stood next to me. He seemed very happy that I had come around and given in to him. I was preparing myself to sprint when he pulled his cell phone out.

"Hey Cal" he said.

"Yeah, I'm here"

"Yes I'm ready, tell Carmen to calm herself"

"I know I'm not suppose to wonder off but I wanted to look around"

"Okay, well I'm outside right now and we still have about 4 hours before the show starts"

"Okay, see ya"

He hung up sighing. I tightened my grip on the straps of my bag.

"Come on, we have to go in there" he said pointing to the arena.

"Why?" I asked.

"You'll find out soon enough" He smirked turning on his heel and walking towards the entrance. I reluctantly followed trusting this strange boy I had just met. We walked towards the arena and security let us walk right through. I looked back questioning what we were doing. There was an event going on later that night. Some band I don't know about.

Michael led me past the concessions and merchandise. The shirts read '5 Seconds Of Summer' and had the faces of the four members. It was too far away to make out the faces. We walked up the stairs to the backstage door.

"What are we doing?" I asked.

"Oh, um, never mind that, just...trust me" he smiled.

I raised an eyebrow questioning him. He replied by turning and opened the backstage door. Surprisingly it wasn't locked. I squinted from the bright lights on the ceiling. There were three other boys and a girl sitting on the couch. They all looked around Michael's age. They all greeted him as 'Mike' and looked curiously at me. I stepped behind Michael's tall figure nervous around all the boys. One body guard stood at the other door near a table of snacks and drinks. Before any questions could be asked a lady with an earpiece walked in holding a clipboard.

"Michael! Where have you been!" she demanded pausing to check her watch. "We only have three hours to sound check!".

"I know, that's why I came back" he replied calmly.

"Who's that?" she asked pointing at me with her pencil.

"This is Casey. She's a friend" he explained.

"Well introduce her to the boys! she can sit up front if she wants" she added walking out of the room.

I looked awkwardly at the four.

"Okay, so, this is Ashton, Calum, Luke, and Arzaylea" he introduced.

They all smiled at me and seemed pretty friendly. The Arzaylea girl was extremely pretty. I shyly sat on the couch next to Ashton. My nails were digging into the straps of my backpack from being so nervous.

"So, are you excited for the show?" Ashton asked me.

"I...don't know your band so I'm not sure" I mumbled. All the boys turned to look at me.

"Oh! Michael didn't tell you? That's alright, what kind of music do you like?" Calum replied.

"I don't listen to a lot of music. We have a really old radio and I pick up some songs. I think one was by a band called All Time Low. I liked that song" I explained.

"Hey! That's one of Mike's favorite bands. Michael! Casey likes All Time Low" Luke yelled over to Michael who had wondered over to the snacks.

"Awesome!" he mumbled through a mouth full of chips. I smiled lightly feeling like I was making connections with these strangers.

Soon the boys got up and went into a separate room to change for sound check. I sat in silence with Arzaylea and looked at my feet nervously.

"There's no need to be nervous. The fans make me seem a lot worse than I am" she said looking at her phone then at me.

"Oh, I bet that's frustrating" I replied.

"Trust me it is" She scoffed. She obviously didn't like the fans very much. She looked like the girl who causes drama so I wasn't sure who's side I was on.

"Anyways, you get to sit next to me in front of Michael's side" she explained.

"Um, okay" I replied confused.

We sat around for a good hour. I decided to venture backstage and see what the boys were doing. Security let me walk through as if I actually belonged there. I knew all this was temporary. I limped over to a chair that was propped up by the sound system.

"Excuse me" I heard.

I turned towards the voice. It was a boy with orange hair and bright blue eyes.

"Hey, you're Casey right? I'm Kyle" he said smiling.

"Hi" I said quietly.

"What happened to you?" He asked worried.

"Oh, this? It's nothing" I insisted.

I watched him speak into the microphone around his head. He called for what I assumed was the bands nurse. She came by so fast she almost missed me. She stopped in front of me smiling. She looked around 30 at the most her blonde hair reaching the middle of her back.

"Alright, let's fix you up" she said.

She cleaned my leg with wipes and wrapped it in bandages. As much as I didn't want to admit it, my arm really stung. I decided to leave it alone. They would defiantly send me back.

I stood from the chair and walked slowly closer to the curtain. I pulled it back slightly hearing the screaming girls. The music was unexplained. It was rock for sure, but something about it seemed to get to me. Like the music was speaking to me specifically. That's a really cool feeling.

The boys were answering questions about the band and themselves. One girl declared her love for Luke during her turn with the mic. I giggled a little too loudly causing a group of girls to turn towards me. The whispered to each other about it for a few minutes and stared at me. I got super shy and hid behind the curtain where they couldn't possibly see me. There was more racket when the next girl got the mic.

"Hey, who's that girl behind the curtain on Michael's side?" they asked. My eyes widened and I remembered what Arzaylea had said.

They make me seem a lot worse than I am

"Oh! That's Casey. You guys want to meet her?" Michael spoke into his mic.

The girls cheered for me to come out. I peaked out and saw Michael looking for me. He smiled when our eyes met and ushered me to the stage with his hand. I shyly walked out from behind the curtain limping my way to the chair Kyle had set out for me on stage. Michael got up and lifted my arm over him shoulder to help me walk better. The girls awed and I blushed from embarrassment. Michael helped me sit down and I stared at the girls in front of me.

"Hi" I said into the microphone I was handed.

"You and Michael are goals!" someone yelled.

"Oh..um...we aren't dating" I said blushing again.

The fans were laughing at something and I didn't know what until I looked to my left and saw Michael raising an eyebrow at me.

"I'm just messing around guys, we're not dating" he confirmed laughing.

"Can you sing?" the next girl asked me. I instantly thought the All Time Low song I had heard and sang so many times.

"Give me therapy, I'm a walking travesty, but I'm smilin' at everything. Therapy, you were never a friend to me. You can keep all your misery" I sang.

The fans and the boys cheered for me. I smiled at the positive response. The manager lady from before came by the curtain and tapped her watch telling us to wrap it up.

"Well guys, that's all the time we have. It was great to see you all! We love you!" Ash said clicking off his mic.

The boys all walked off stage and Michael once again helped me across stage with my limp.

It was an hour to show and all the fans piled into the building. The first opening act, Hey Violet, was about to go on. The body guard was ushering the boys out of the room and me and Arzaylea followed. We wore red hats so nobody would mob us. The fans didn't recognize us as we walked to our seats. When we sat down however a girl behind us tapped Arzaylea on the shoulder.

"Hey, could I get a picture with you?"

"I swear if you fans try to talk to me during the show I'm getting security"

"Oh, sorry, never mind" she said.

I obviously knew who's side I was on at this point seeing how poorly she treated the fans. I understand she wants to see the show but there's no need to yell at them. I turned around and looked at the girl smiling.

"Hey, I'm Michael's friend. I'll take a picture with you" I offered. She smiled back and took a picture with me. I turned back around and faced Arzaylea who looked upset. I hope she doesnt feel challenged by me because she is so much prettier and luckier then me. My whole life I've never had a boyfriend and to have someone as great as Luke seems, she's a really lucky girl.

After Hey Violet played a band called One Ok Rock went on. They played a sad song in which everyone put their phones in the air for turning there flashlights on. I had never had a phone hints why I never called the cops about my parents. When the band was done the lights came back on and everyone rushed out of their seats.

"They're going to see if they can catch up with the boys before they go backstage" Arzaylea said not bothering to look at me.

I replied with an oh and watched many fans abandon their seats and rush to the top of the stairs.

20 minutes later, the lights dimmed and everyone returned to their seats. Music started playing and the girls around us screamed so loud my ears started to ring.

"Carry On.."

Authors Note: tell me what you think?


End file.
